VOLUNTEERS working to restore a popular well to its former glory were disappointed to discover it had been badly damaged by vandals who felt it was “perfect the way it was before”.

District Councillor Thom Forester, together with volunteers from heritage skills enterprise The Rewild Project, have been working to restore Borden Well, located in George Lane along from Gunns Mill near Littledean, having completed a similar job at St Anthony’s Well near Flaxley last year.

But after the volunteers had completed a “really good” day’s work at the well earlier this month, Cllr Forester discovered last week that it had been damaged.

He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “What kind of person takes it upon themselves to smash-up an on-going restoration project?

“They damaged the wall and removed the pipe, causing the area we’re working in to flood waist high.

“They also chucked a load of the walling stones down into the well which has chipped-off parts of two of the main stones.

“This Blue Pennent sandstone is only found in the Forest, its rare and was chosen as its the same stone used in St. Anthony’s – to damage it like this is an insult to all the hard work of local masons, quarrymen and all the volunteers who’ve worked with us on this project over the past year and some.

“On Saturday, we had a really good day working down there, almost finished the wall that will direct the water away from the steps where people will be able to stand to access the spout.

“Previously, there was only a few loose rocks you had to try to balance on – which made it very hard especially for the elderly and less abled to access it.”

Cllr Forester says the well, which is used regularly by hundreds of local people, was built with concrete and iron during or in-between the two world wars.

The restoration is part of The Rewild Project’s Springs and Wells initiative, which is organised in conjunction with Forestry England and Forester’s Forest.

An unsigned note had been left at the site attached to one of the group’s signs when the damage was discovered.

The note read: “It was perfect the way it was before!

“Now it’s running through a dirty plastic pipe, why can’t you leave nothing alone?”

Cllr Forester added: “We have talked to what must be approaching a hundred people down along the roadside over the last several weeks, and all but one of them has been over the moon to see it being restored.

“The project is ran 100% by volunteers who do this in our own time.”

He said if the person who did the damage has any decency left they should meet him at the well to discuss the volunteer hours it will take to repair the damage.